Donna Freitas: December 2008 Archives

Okay, I promise (maybe) that this is my last post (or, one of my last posts) about "Twilight" for 2008. (Of course, as you know, 2008 ends Wednesday night, bringing a whole near year of possibilities...)

I couldn't resist mentioning this little factoid that I saw in the article, "Twilight Was Bigger than Dark Knight?!" on E! Online, which states the following:

With a $167.3 million overall domestic take as of Sunday, per Box Office Mojo, "Twilight" made more than four times its reported $37 million production budget--the best rate of return on any film in the 2008 Top 10, including "The Dark Knight."

"The Dark Night" technically made more money ($185 million budget with a $530.8 million domestic take), but "Twilight" did better in terms of investment for profit. "Twilight" was even #8 on the list of Top 10 Grossing Films of 2008.

Hurray for vampires, Edward, and Bella!

Before I go listing my YA novel picks for 2008, I have one caveat: I am rather tired of the way people slap the word "spiritual" on everything including the kitchen sink, without really telling you what they mean by the usage.

So, in the process of giving you my Top 5 Best Spiritual YA Reads of 2008, I will offer you 5 possible meanings/uses/broad understandings of "spiritual" in light of the stories discussed here. (Note: The novels aren't listed in any particular order.) Here we go:

1- "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer - Some of you may be groaning at this pick, saying to yourself: "I am so sick of everything Twilight, blah, blah, blah, and I HATED Breaking Dawn; it was terrible in every way, so why in the world is it on this list, much less  being called the #1 Spiritual YA Novel of 2008?" Well, I'll tell you why: It's #1 because of the Zeitgeist factor, zeitgeist meaning "spirit of the age or time." Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series is a contemporary, cultural phenom because it's a whisper on everyone's lips--the young, the old, the boy, the girl, the Dad, the Mom, the cranky husband, and the swooning wife--even if the person whispering has no idea what Twilight even is. It's the new Harry Potter, everyone is going crazy for it, and it has taken on a life of its own. Hence, the zeitgeist factor.

Okay, so here we go. Here come the "Twilight"-bashing Christians and in the same vein as the "Harry Potter"-bashing Christians. There are now pastors coming out to denounce Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight Series" and its corresponding movie and how it will ruin your kids' faith life among other things--despite the series' accolades from just about every other Christian corner of the universe.

Behold:

Pastor Bill Randles' article, "Why "Twilight" is spiritually fatal, and what it shows us about the state of Christian youth," which calls the series "nothing less than an obscene parody of the precious gift of God--which is eternal life through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and by the gift of His blood, offered to God for us," and which leads you to another "Twilight"-bashing article by Caryl Matrisciana & Paul Villanueva, which includes this little zinger of a passage:

I think it's fair to say that 2008 was the year of "Twilight"--as in Stephenie Meyer's the "Twilight Series," as in vampires and vampire-human love, as in star-crossed romance taken as far as it can go, as in crazy, screaming teenage girls (and their moms) cheering on Meyer everywhere she goes, and as in crazy, screaming teenage girls (and their moms) swooning over Robert Pattinson, the on-screen embodiment of Edward Cullen, that sexy, brooding vampire we have all come to know and love.

Since "Twilight" and all-things vampire was a (very) common thread in my posts for Idol Chatter this year, I thought I'd take a look back on the some of the more significant "Twilight" Highlights of 2008:

May 9th: the movie trailer for "Twilight" takes the blogosphere by storm

I'll see Philip Seymour Hoffman in just about anything--his acting is brilliant to a shocking degree, but even rarer is the way he disappears into a role, despite the fact that we all know who he is by now.

If you like Hoffman as much as I do, then this week's New York Times Magazine cover article, "A Higher Calling," is not to be missed: reporter Lynn Hirschberg attempts to get into Hoffman's head when he's getting his head around a particular part, including the accused Father Flynn in "Doubt."

When I was a kid, each year when we strung up our Christmas lights and decorations throughout the house, I would set up a crèche (aka, a nativity scene). And each year I would get to add a little piece...

So she married a much older man, a prince, and is known for, among other things, dying her hair a myriad of colors and even wearing it in a mohawk. That doesn't stop Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis of...

The best place to go for your prayers to be answered--especially if you happen to be Christian and/or are down on your luck as of late--is no longer a house of worship. Nope. Apparently, the best place for sending prayers...

While I don't like this particular blogger's attitude--nor do I agree with what he says--I can't help but share this post I found about the "10 Things Twilight Teaches Teenage Boys About Teenage Girls" by Kevin Kelly. Kelly claims that,...